Police shoot suspect in vehicle chase near Bethany Beach

The suspect has been admitted to a hospital in serious condition, according to Delaware State Police Master Cpl. Gary Fournier

Staff Report

A suspect in a police chase in Ocean View west of Bethany Beach was shot by officers as he was driving toward them Saturday night.

Delaware State Police Master Cpl. Gary Fournier said the incident occurred at 10:13 p.m. when an officer from the Ocean View Police Department became involved in a vehicle pursuit while assisting the Worcester County, Maryland sheriff's office.

The Ocean View officer and sheriff's deputies were pursuing an Infiniti SUV on Burbage Road as it crossed over Windmill Drive onto Pine Grove Lane, which is a dead end road.

The driver of the SUV stopped at the end of the road, but then accelerated backwards at a high speed directly into the front of the Ocean View officer's patrol vehicle, pushing it off the road, Fournier said.

The driver of the Infiniti continued backing at a high rate of speed, almost striking a deputy sheriff's vehicle, and smashed into a mailbox where he momentarily stopped.

The suspect then drove forward into an empty residential lot where he turned around and began driving toward a sheriff's deputy who was standing outside his vehicle in the driveway of the lot.

The Ocean View officer exited his patrol vehicle and ran to where the deputy was standing. The SUV driver accelerated toward the two law enforcement officers who were yelling commands to stop.

Both the Ocean View officer and the sheriff's deputy fired multiple rounds at the Infiniti before the vehicle stopped in a private driveway in the 36000 block of Pine Grove Lane, Fournier said.

The Ocean View officer and sheriff's deputies removed the suspect from the SUV and rendered first aid until the arrival of emergency medical services personnel.

The suspect was transported to an area hospital and admitted in serious condition.

He is a 31-year-old Hurlock, Maryland man, but his name is being withheld pending notification of next of kin, Fournier said.

The Ocean View officer was also transported to an area hospital by EMS where he was treated for non-life-threatening injuries he suffered in the collision. He has been released.

The deputy sheriff wasn't injured.

Deputies on DUI patrol in Worcester County, Maryland first tried to stop the suspect in Ocean City at about 8:10 p.m., because he was driving erratically, said sheriff's department Lt. Ed Schreier.

The driver fled toward the Berlin, Maryland area, crashed his vehicle and fled.

The deputies lost track of the suspect, but found him again after he allegedly stole another vehicle.

The suspect fled, and sheriff's deputies found the stolen vehicle abandoned on Route 90. He stole another vehicle and abandoned it.

The sheriff's department used a K-9 team and tracked the suspect to a neighborhood where deputies saw a black SUV driving away. The suspect had burglarized a home and stolen the SUV, police said.